Sources at Taiwanese laptop supply chain makers told DigiTimes that many ultrabooks with prices in the $699 range will arrive in 2013. These will be entry-level ultrabooks or ultra-like models, high-end ultrabooks will still be $1,000 and more. High pricing is one of the reasons why ultrabook sales fell short of expectations this year.
High-end ultrabooks will feature aluminum unibody or carbon-fiber chassis, SSDs, Li polymer batteries and Windows 8 touch screens, the sources indicated. In order to minimize production costs to keep retail prices at or below US$699, fiberglass-reinforced plastic or metal-plastic hybrid chassis, slim HDDs or HDD/SSD hybrid drives, conventional batteries and non-touch screens will be adopted for entry-level ultrabook or ultra-like models, the sources pointed out.
